Mistake
by Albion19
Summary: AU. Sylar goes to collect Sarah Ellis's power...


Sylar

He watched the girl through the trees. She was stretched out on the lawn, book in front her face, shielding her from the sun. She had rolled her top up to under her breasts then stopped. Too timid to expose herself to the people barren landscape. Well, apart from him. He pulled his cap lower over his eyes, feeling a sense of excitement mounting. It would be dead calm when he gets her, that exquisite feeling reaching such a peak that he was numb to all else. But right now he was ravenous.

He made to step out of the trees but stopped. A car was puling up and a woman was getting out. Her honking laugh echoed through the trees. She waved the car off. His eyes switched back to the girl. She was gone. Then he noticed her shadow on a wall, frantically wavering before becoming stationary. The woman entered the house, weaving slightly on her feet.

There was two of them. But which one was Sarah Ellis?

He creped up to the window, listening.

"What you been doin?"

He couldn't make out the girls reply.

"Haha! You can't fool me missy! You were out back again! …_N -N no_. Don't bother lying Sarah, I can always tell."

Sarah. Sylar heard the loud woman imitate the quite girl - Sarah - and felt a stab of anger. Stupid woman had no idea who she was talking to. But he knew now. He made his way to the front door, taking off the baseball cap. No time like the present.

Rita

Rita watched Sarah skitter into her room, her chores done before she had got back. She laid back into the cushions, slipper'd feet up on the coffee table. Gin and tonic twinkling in her hand. She pulled the glass way from her mouth with a grimace. _Not enough Ice. Damn girl!_ _Incompetence is her middle name, for sure!_

Grumbling, she made her way to the sink when the door bell rang.

"Sarah! Door! You hear!?" Rita waited for her bedroom door to open. Which it didn't.

"Hoho! I see your game. Can't be bothered to get off your damn ass, while me and ma poor feet have been worked clean OFF!" Her thundering voice greeted the stranger as she yanked the door open.

A young man was staring at her. A tall drink o' water, darkly handsome. Her eyes swept him before turning to look back up at him with a lascivious interest. She thought for a moment he looked like he was sucking lemons, but she dismissed the idea when he smiled on her. Her pulse fluttered.

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so! My car broke down miles back and I was wondering, if it's not too much trouble, if I could use your phone? Sorry to trouble you."

"Oh where are my manners! Come on in you poor thing, walking all this way." She ushered him in, drink sloshing in the glass. "It's no trouble at all."

"Thank you Ma'aam." That was the way he said it, all drawn out. Rita shivered. _If I was 20 years younger…_

She laughed giddily. "Ma'am! Get away with you! SARAH! Get out here and get this man a drink!"

Sarah emerged quickly, moving swiftly to the fridge. Rita had been aware that she had been peaking through a crack in her door. Watching him.

"You silly dolt! Aren't you going to ask him what he wants? You will have to excuse her. Brains like candy-floss."

"Oh please, I'm fine."

Rita smiled at the man, but he was addressing Sarah. Rita moved closer and trailed her fingers over his arm. He looked down at her inquiringly.

"The phone. You said you wanted to use it. Right over there sweetheart." He nodded and smiled, walking over to it. To Sarah. She watched the girl eyeing him quickly and bit down on her acid tongue. He had the phone to his ear, but put it down in confusion.

"It's a dead line."

Sarah picked it up and began to push down on the buttons.

"It's sile -"

Rita snatched it out of her hand. Ringing silence. She opened her mouth to speak, but Sarah got in there first.

"You can use Mrs Donahue's. She lives the next farm down."

Rira looked at her in annoyance "Thank you Sarah. She's right. Why don't I show you the way? It's through a wood…"

"But it's 6: 50. Louise is picking you at 7. You'll be la…" Sarah trailed off from the glare that was directed at her.

_Shit. She's right. He's oh so _cute. _Damn!_

"Well he won't be able to find it on his own. Sarah hop to it and show him the way! Come on girl!"

Sarah stood still for a second staring at her wonderingly before diving into her bedroom. She emerged with sneakers on her feet.

"Seriously, I can't thank you enough." Rita was struck by his ringing sincerity. What a sweet boy. She watched them walking around the house with a mixture of envy at her and wistfulness at him.

_I could have had him. _She shut the door with a sigh.

Sarah

She lead him into the pine tress, butterflies fluttering inside. Sarah had a lot of time to herself and as such had a free and expansive imagination. So the prospect of leading a strange man into this place had crossed her mind more then once. But now it was for real. She certainly didn't feel this apprehensive in her fantasies.

He was inches behind her, walking at her side. She took quick darting glances at him. Very tall, lean body looming over her tiny one. Hair brown and luxuriously thick. Eyebrows to match. Dominate, dark features. She couldn't place an ethnicity. He caught her looking and smiled.

He was lupine made man.

She looked ahead, the silence growing heavier. _Talk to me. Please. _

More silence. Sarah started to feel crushed under the weight of it. Then he was close, back bent to speak nearer.

"Your mother's sure is a piece of work!"

Sarah snorted, looking at him with a conspirator's expression, eyes meeting his fully for the first time. His eyes flashed greedy. Sarah stumbled momentarily. His hand on her arm kept her steady, his gaze even more heated. She felt struck dumb. _Where the hell did my common sense go? Just because I got one up on Rita! _Then the adrenaline starting pumping. Fight or Flight?

_Flight._

She took a step away but he was already poised for her action. A hand suddenly wrapped it's self around her throat and she was thrown roughly to the ground. The air was knocked out of her lungs. She started to scream when he straddled her.

_He's going to rape me!_

"NO! nonononono." She fought him clumsily, wild, fingernails going for his face. An inexplicable force pushed her hands down to either side of her head. Her legs kicked and they too, were stilled. She screamed shrilly, the wild cat in her limbs restrained. The hand tightened, she choked, crying non-stop, making her sight obscured. All she could do was mouth at him in desperation to stop.

He looked at her with a hunger, eyes hot and lust filled. His other hand rested on her quivering stomach.

"You're going to answer my question truthfully. Otherwise you know where my hand is going to go?"

She stared at him petrified. The hand around her throat was trembling. The pressure lessened.

"Ok. Have you manifested yet?"

_What? Is he talking about my periods?_

"I- I - I…I -" _God I cant speak! _The hand on her stomach skimmed the button of her jeans. A chill flowed from her bones.

"Please, please! I don't know, I don't know!"

"Do you have a power? Are you special?"

"Not special. No, not special. Not special. _Oh please. _There's nothing special or powerful about me. I'm nothing. Please, I wouldn't be in this DUMP if I was." She was going into hysterics, repeatedly telling him the same thing over and over.

He stared at her with a frown. "But you're Sarah Ellis?" She nodded frantically. "And that gaudy tramp back there is your mother?"

Sarah froze for a moment, then shook her head. "No, not my real mother. But, but her name was Sarah too…"

He looked troubled, sitting up with frown. His crotch scrapped against hers. She whimpered in fear.

"Please don't rape me. Whatever you want. Just please don't."

A look of disgust passed over his features as he quickly stood up. Relief swept her. She got up to run, but found herself smacking into an invisible wall. She sat back down with thump. She looked around at him in fear and confusion.

He kept on circling her like a pack animal. "You're not going anywhere, so just sit still for now." She could feel his aggravation in the way he stalked around her. "There was something special about your mother. What was it?"

"What? Nothing." He made a motion towards her and she crawled back. Her back hit the non excitant wall.

"NO! You don't understand the importance of this! You've got to tell me!" His voice shook with desperation. And Sarah realised that her life depended on her answer. _Talk Sarah, talk!_

"Sanitation!" _Oh Christ, what?_

"What?" He had crouched down to stare at her in confusion.

"My father said she was the cleanest person ever. Spotless. She never had to clean the house because there was never any dust. She, we, never got sick. My father was convinced she could kill germs." She was babbling, talking total shit. Quirky bed time stories that her dad would tell her.

His face lit up like a child on Christmas day, and despite herself, she thought it beatifically glowing. Then it changed, darkened. The presents and tree had been blow torched.

"She _was_? Past tense?"

She nodded slowly. "She died having me." She gasped in shock as he stood quickly.

"Fuck! God damn it!" He punched the wall with his fist. He stayed still, back to her. Sarah thought he was counting to ten. He turned to look at her with a calm disappointment, cocking his head at her small huddled form.

"This was a mistake. You have no idea how lucky you are." He sighed wearily. "Go."

The barrier behind her vanished. She fell back, but quickly got to her feet. With one fleeting glance at him she ran like the wind. His voice followed her.

"If you tell anyone about me, I'll come back for you. I promise."

She ran and ran and ran.


End file.
